


6-Feet Under Screams

by Unshaded_Streaks_Of_Me



Series: Tumblr Birthday Prompts [21]
Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Depressed Nico, Depression, M/M, Students at a Park, Will helps out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 11:41:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6237181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unshaded_Streaks_Of_Me/pseuds/Unshaded_Streaks_Of_Me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Students at a Park</p><p>“Thanks,” he said weakly and reached out to grab Will’s hand. He didn’t know why. He just wanted the support. He needed Will’s support.</p>
            </blockquote>





	6-Feet Under Screams

Nico sat down on a bench, the cool wood pressing through his thin shirt. It felt good somehow, like the cool bench somehow cleared the air around him, letting him breathe more easily. But the air was too cold, too light.

Tears pooled in his eyes again and he blinked them away. Now-a-days, he didn’t know why he cried. That heavy feeling in his chest had taken up residency in his chest. Permanent or temporary, he didn’t know. But it was there. Always there. For the millionth time that day, he wished Hazel was there with him, and not off to some boarding school in San Francisco. But he probably would have shut her off too.

Taking a shaky breath, Nico pulled himself up into a straighter position and ran a hand through his hair. Again. And again. It didn’t make him feel better but the slight, almost non-existent pain that came with it provided some relief. Biting his lip, Nico looked around, to at least try and feign interest in his surroundings. But there was nothing interesting anymore. Not the children playing happily on the swings, not the parents chatting as they walked around the park, not the shaded clouds spread across the evening sky. Nico let out an involuntary whimper at the thought. How was nothing beautiful? How could he not find anything beautiful? What the hell was wrong with him? He let out another shaky sigh and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

“Hey.” A voice interrupted his languid thoughts.

Turning his head, Nico looked up slightly to see his best friend and long time crush, Will Solace, standing next to him. His mouth was turned in a half smile as he looked at Nico uncertainly.

Nico smiled half-heartedly and muttered a weak ‘hey’.

Will shifted uncomfortably. “Mind if I sit down?”

Nico scanned Will’s face. It wasn’t like he was doing much anyways. And he could probably do with some company too. So he shrugged and smiled again. “Sure.”

Will settled down next to Nico and stretched out his legs. Nico turned his attention back to the emptying park and sank back in his own thoughts. Will sat quietly next to him, fiddling with his thumbs but Nico couldn’t bring himself to start a conversation and neither did he want to.

After a few more moments, Will cleared his throat. “You’ve been down these days.”

Nico chuckled bitterly and shrugged. At least someone had noticed. Hopefully Will wouldn’t wave it off as mood swing like everyone else did. Apparently, teenage angst was the answer to everything. And maybe it was. Maybe Nico was just being selfish. So he just kept quiet.

Seeing as Nico wasn’t saying anything, Will tried again. “You wanna talk about it?”

Nico looked down at his hands. That’s what he wanted, right? To talk to someone? To make someone understand? But at that moment, when he had that chance, everything drained out of him. He didn’t feel like talking anymore. Looking down at his hands, Nico muttered, “Not really.”

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Will nodding.

“I- I know you’re going through something I can’t understand right now,” Will started, unsurely, “But you’re- you’re my best friend. And you haven’t talked to me for days. And I want to at least _try_ and understand.”

Will turned his entire body to face Nico and continued, “I just want you to talk to me.”

Nico bit his lip, trying to stop the tears from pouring out. He sniffed and rubbed at his wet eyes. “How,” he choked out, his voice trembling, “How do you know it’s not just another stupid mood swing?”

He didn’t even know why he said that. He _knew_ it wasn’t a mood swing. And yet his stupid brain told his stupid mouth to say it anyways. Stupid. With that, the tears started flowing freely down his cheeks, his face contorted, muted sobs breaking through his mouth. _Stupid_.

Next to him, Will shifted closer and wrapped his arms around Nico, pressing his cheek against Nico’s temple. Nico sobbed into Will’s sweat shirt, pressing closer, thankful for the human contact he’d longed for.

How the hell did this happen to him? How could he make everything stop? He just wanted it to stop! ‘Maybe Will will understand.’ A small voice in the back of his head whispered. And Nico hoped so too. Nico hoped with _everything_ he had that Will would understand.

Will pulled him closer and rubbed circles on Nico’s back comfortingly. Nico gasped wordlessly, clutching at Will’s sweatshirt, almost gratefully. Of course Will wouldn’t stop being his friend, of course he wouldn’t stop caring.

“I know you, Neeks,” Will said soothingly, rocking him back and forth, “This isn’t something unimportant and you can’t think it’s unimportant.”

He pulled back and wiped Nico’s tears away with his thumbs. “Just know that you can talk to me whenever. Even now, if you want.”

Nico nodded, wiping at his cheeks. “Thanks,” he said weakly and reached out to grab Will’s hand. He didn’t know why. He just wanted the support. He  _needed_ Will’s support.

Will squeezed back supportively and hesitantly wrapped his arm around Nico’s shoulder. They sat there in comfortable silence for god knows how long. Nico felt a little better. He finally felt like his problems weren’t insignificant and that people cared. It felt like suddenly he’d had an epiphany and that he could get through this, whatever _this_ was. And he knew that Will and Nico’s friends and his father would help him. He felt a lot lighter than he had in days. He felt _better_. So he sat there on the park bench with Will, breathing in the cool evening air, trying to think positive. Silently with Will. And by the time Nico decided it was time to go home, it was already dark.

Shifting in his seat, Nico looked at Will. “I should go now.”

Will looked at Nico and nodded retracting his arm from Nico’s shoulders. “Yeah. Yeah, sure.”

“Thank you. For…everything,” Nico leaned forward and gave Will a quick hug.

When Nico pulled back, Will was beaming, almost proudly. As Nico went to get up, Will suddenly grabbed his arm. Surprised, Nico turned. “What?”

Will looked at Nico unsurely. “Do you want to meet up tomorrow? Just to hangout, maybe?”

Nico smiled. “I’d like that.” Biting his lip, he added, “I _need_ that.”

Grinning, Will got up. “So see you tomorrow then?”

Nico nodded, “Yeah.”

As he got up to leave, Will held his hand again. He stared at Nico wide eyed, blue eyes shining with concern. “Hey Neeks, call if you need anything, okay?”

Nico smiled softly. “Yeah. Thanks Will.”

Will nudged Nico’s arm playfully. “No problem. We’re friends remember?”

Nico ducked his head, blushing. “Yeah, see you tomorrow then.”

As Nico walked home, he felt lighter and happier. He felt cared for.

When his father opened the door for him, Nico greeted him with an almost alien half-smile. He could see the pleasant surprise on his dad’s face as he helped set up the table for dinner. That made _him_ happy. He felt like he hadn’t gone unnoticed. He felt like people cared.

But when Nico went to bed, he felt lonely again. He could feel himself sinking in bad thoughts again. But he’d promised he’d help himself. And so he _did_ help himself.

Heart beating against his chest, he pulled himself out of bed and made his way to his father’s room. Opening the door, he stepped in hesitantly. His father looked up from his books at him, confused.

“Can I sit here for a while? Just to talk?” Nico’s voice cracked.

His father smiled and nodded, putting his book aside.

And Nico felt like crying all over again. 


End file.
